because I've already admired you 100 times
by seaweedbrainsss
Summary: Companion fic to If You Ever Want to Admire the View. Percabeth first date.


**Please read my other fic before this one called If You Ever Want to Admire the View. This is a follow up of that since pretty much all the reviews told me to write more. I'm not very satisfied with it but I don't really know what else to do.**

 **I would love to know your thoughts so please leave a review, good or bad!**

 **Disclaimer: all rights go to Uncle Rick**

Annabeth couldn't remember the last time she had been this nervous for a date. Her palms were sweaty, she had butterflies swarming around, uninvited, and she couldn't stop pacing.

Hot window guy, no, _Percy Jackson,_ he had a name now. That was weird. Percy was due at her house any minute now to take her out for dinner, and Annabeth was definitely freaking out.

She had curled her hair, something that she hadn't done in _years._ And had put on a red dress that she reserved for special occasions. Piper had cried when she had seen her, saying something about her little girl growing up so fast.

Annabeth was quick to remind her that she was a whole year older than her best friend, but that didn't stop her.

When the knock on the door finally came, Annabeth could have sworn her _heart_ actually stopped. She _really_ didn't want to screw this up. She had known this guy for a month, and had just met him in person yesterday at Jason's surprise party, but she just had a feeling that he was different.

 _Gods,_ she needed to stop hanging out with Piper so much.

Opening the door was probably one of the hardest things Annabeth had ever had to do (she had faced a lot of hardships in the past so this statement was intense and also an exaggeration).

Percy looked, well, _hot._ That hadn't surprised her though since she had dubbed him as _Hot Window Guy_ for a long time.

He wore a blue button up with the sleeves rolled up to show off his glorious forearms (Annabeth had never payed attention to guys forearms like this but she would start to now because, _wow_ ) and a pare of slacks. His hair was messily tamed, tamed being used very loosely in this instance, and he held out a single red rose to her.

She was sure she had died and gone to heaven or something because there was no way he had just brought her a red rose and was now smiling at her like the happiest man alive.

Annabeth smiled back, biting her lip to try to contain her excitement. When she took the flower, their hands brushed and her stomach fluttered yet again.

"Thank you," she whispered bashfully and ushered him inside before walking in the kitchen to get a vase.

She worked in silence as she poured water into the glass and placed the rose inside, setting it on her counter before stepping back.

"Beautiful," she murmured before turning to him.

"Ya," he said back, but he wasn't looking at the rose.

Annabeth knew that wouldn't be the last time she blushed that night.

"Nice place," Percy noted as he looked around the room. "It's too clean for its own good."

"A room can never be too clean." He looked at her pointedly. "You're just jealous because you live in that swamp you call a home."

He laughed, "that's a low blow, Chase."

"Sometimes it's hard for men to face the truth."

Percy headed for the door, walking backwards so he could still face her.

He put a hand over his heart,"You wound me, and you don't even realize it."

"Oh I realize."

He scoffed. "And to think I was going to ride a cab intead of the subway for you."

She smiled sweetly and fluttered her lashes. He laughed.

Despite the comments, they took a cab.

...

He took her to a nice restaurant in Manhattan which probably cost way too much, especially since she knew he was not exactly...well off.

She almost felt bad but the gesture was really sweet and the fact that he was using his money like this on her made her feel really good.

Annabeth quickly learned something about Percy that she really liked, he was a _gentlemen_. Super considerate and always opening car doors and asking her how she was doing and pulling out her chair for her at the dinner table. She hadn't realized how rare that had become until she noticed his chivalry.

Needless to say, he was doing really well so far.

"So, Percy," she took a sip of her wine. "Tell me about yourself."

He sat back in his chair. "Well, I've lived in New York my entire life, just me and my mom."

"Is asking about the dad too much?"

"No, he died before I was even born. Car accident ."

Annabeth could tell talking about it made him uncomfortable.

"I know how useless saying 'I'm sorry' is, but I am."

"Ya well, I never really knew the guy, you know? Like, of course I wish I knew him and I had a dad to play ball with and teach me how to treat a girl and all the other dad stereotypes, but I don't miss him uncontrollably. It's hard to do that when you've never met someone."

She nodded, "I get that. My mom left my dad and I when I was super young, I barely remember her."

Percy leaned forward, "well, look at us. A pair of misfortune and tragedy."

Annabeth laughed,"on a much lighter note, I hear you go to NYU."

"Now now Annabeth, stalking is not a very healthy habit."

"It's not _stalking_ if Piper decided to tell me with her own free will."

"Ya, I'm kind of a big deal over there."

She huffed, "you know what I'm wondering?"

"What?"

"Can that head of yours get _any_ bigger?"

Percy pretended to ponder for a little while, "ummm, probably not."

"At least your honest."

"Honestly is very important to me."

"Interesting."

"What about you," Percy ventured. "What should I know about Annabeth Chase?"

"I've lived in eight different states, but my dad and step mom finally settled in New York about five years ago. I've been going to college for three years."

"What school?"

"Yale."

He whistled appreciatively, "no one bothered to tell me I'm on a date with a genius."

Annabeth laughed, "well what about you, you have to be pretty smart to get into NYU."

"Nah, I'm there on scholarship for swim."

"Full ride?"

"Full ride." He confirmed.

"Now who's impressive?"

He looked her up and down from across the table and then with complete and utter seriousness he said, "still you."

 _Gods_ there was no way this man was real.

...

"I have a very important question for you."

"Ok..."

"What's important to you, in life?"

They had switched back a and forth asking the other person questions for almost three hours now, somewhere in the middle switching from the nice fancy dining hall to an iron bench in the infamous Central Park.

"This question in particular was very loaded, and yet it had a surprisingly immediate answer for Annabeth.

"Faith."

"Faith?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Percy laughed, throwing a cheerio he had found on the floor at a group of pigeons. "Elaborate please."

Annabeth stands up, dress and all, and lays down on the concrete. She pats the spot next to her.

"This is weird."

"Shhhh." Annabeth hushed, "just shut up and look."

"At what?"

"At the stars, you idiot."

They lay in silence for a while.

"Ok I looked, now what?"

She breathes in. "You know what I have faith in? The stars. I have faith that each and every one of them is there for a reason. They provide light and warmth and beauty to solar systems so far away are finite minds can't even imagine how vast and how far. And just like the stars have a purpose, so do we.

"Every person is here for a reason. One they might not understand, or one they might not want to understand, but everyone is here. And that's reality. I don't know what you put your faith in, but whatever it is, it gives you purpose. It gives other people purpose.

"And if someone doesn't have faith in anything...not a single thing in their _entire_ life, well, that's the tragedy. That's when I think you were put on this earth for a reason and instead of grappling with that like the rest of us you threw it all away. Having faith keeps us going. Having faith makes things like bright stars beautiful and not just dots against a dark background."

"Poetic."

"I try."

...

It was after midnight when they finally made it back to Annabeth's apartment.

She leaned against the door, "Would you like to come in?" She whispered.

Percy glanced up at the ceiling, "maybe some other time."

He must have seen the disappointment on her face because he rushed to explain himself. "It's just...if I come in I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself."

"Oh."

"Ya."

"Just to be clear," she straightened her spine a little, "I wasn't inviting you in for _that._ "

"I know. But I'm a twenty-one year old guy who I standing before arguably the most beautiful women practically _ever_ who he's severely infatuated with and...sue me for being cautious."

Annabeth couldn't stop the grin that made its way across her face.

"No, no. I think it's really sweet."

"Good."

"Thank you for everything, Percy. I had the best time."

He leaned in real close, so much that his dark locks brushed her forehead.

"You're welcome."

And then he was leaning in all the way, his lips touching hers so lightly she could have imagined it. He pulled away almost before she could react.

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

"Goodnight." She whispered back breathlessly.


End file.
